By Carol Watterson, Photos by Brian Argyle TAKING FLIGHTDust flies as 13-year-old Ethan Surry clears a massive jump. Ethan lives in Parksville and spends a lot of time on the local trails and at the bike park in Qualicum Beach. But mostly, he’s into dirt jumping. Since Parksville doesn’t have an official riding park, many […]
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Four Paws, Two feet, One Team
Operation Freedom Paws: Dogs and people rescuing each other By Carol Watterson. Photos by Brian Argyle To find the training centre for Operation Freedom Paws (OFP), we needed detailed instructions — at least until we got close enough to follow the sounds of barking. Once off the highway, the laneway leading to the centre is […]
Blazing a Trail
BY SHIRLEY CUPLIN, PHOTOS BY PETER MCCULLY AND LISSA ALEXANDER It would be easy enough to assume that the Silver Spur Riding Club is little more than a social group that offers fun events for equine enthusiasts. And it does do that, but there is so much more to the story of this venerable organization. […]
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A Burgeoning Berry Business
Hilliers Estate Farms BY LISSA ALEXANDER, PHOTOS BY BRIAN ARGYLE Chris and Allena Bergen met at a barn party, and three years later, surrounded by fields of young blueberry bushes, they celebrated their marriage in that very place. The location held deep significance for both of them, Allena because of her roots on the farm, […]
Island Flower Farm
BY SHIRLEY CULPIN, PHOTOS BY TARYN PICKARD It all began seven years ago with a pint of organic cherry tomatoes. Instead of flowers, the tomatoes were the gift offering from Chris Snook on his first date with Bronwyn Wheeler. Chris was a certified organic vegetable farmer at the time, and very proud of the 100 […]
The Art of the Unexpected
Article by Micki Findlay, Photos by Brian Argyle You’ve waited all winter long for this moment – driving along our island’s coastline — windows rolled down, wind in your hair, sun on your face. Suddenly, something catches your eye.Cats. Enormous, white cats perched playfully on the roof of a vine-covered house. One is playing the […]
Keeper of the Caves
By Lissa AlexanderPhotos by Brian Argyle Richard Varela feels like caves today are akin to whales in the early twentieth century.“You could go out and harpoon the whale and drag it into the bay to a cheering crowd,” he says. “But then they started to protect whales.”Richard, Park Director at Horne Lake Caves, has been […]
RUSHING TO THE CUPS
GERRY JAMES – CFL & NHL By Lissa Alexander. Photos by Peter McCully, Lissa Alexander and submitted. Gerry James is a sports legend. His list of accomplishments is nothing short of astounding, including the only athlete to suit up for both the Grey Cup and Stanley Cup finals in the same season, and the first […]
Making Circus Freaks
By Lissa Alexander. Photos by Brian Argyle and Lissa Alexander There are two types of people, those that like to wrap things around themselves and people who like to wrap themselves around things. This is according to Glenny Davidson, owner of Circus Freaks in Parksville.“This includes hard and soft objects,” Glenny explains. “I like the […]
Hopping to it
By Morgan Cross Photos by Peter McCully and Morgan Cross When Steven Morrison and Debbie Mann moved from Squamish to Nanoose Bay in 2015, the 80 acres of farmland now home to Island Hopper Farms had been leased for hay production for 20 years. But the couple had their minds set on the plot at […]
Life on the Other Side
When Chris Moon wakes up in the morning, he walks down the steps of his Bowser home and heads straight to his record player. “I take care in deciding what record to put on, because I know there’s three other people who are going to be listening to it and I challenge myself to try […]
It’s Show Time
Photos and Images by Brian Argyle For three decades now, car shows in the Parksville Qualicum Beach area have been well attended by both exhibitors and spectators. In fact, the Qualicum Beach car show was mentioned by Oprah Winfrey as ‘One Of The Top Ten Things To Do On Father’s Day,’ and the car show […]
Culture Craze
By Lissa Alexander Photos by Brian Argyle/Lissa Alexander The little metal objects were glinting in the mall’s bright lights, as Lisa Hayward made her way toward the retail booth, eyes wide with anticipation. “I actually ran out of my store, and I said, ‘What are you guys selling?’ Hayward explains. “And they said ‘Body jewelry’ […]